I don’t know if you heard (or saw via 10,000 ads from the team in NY/NJ area websites), but the New Jersey Nets want LeBron James. Pretty badly, apparently. I think they’d settle for Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh, though. Breaking news.

Either way, the latest rumor trends don’t look to favorably on the Nets. Regardless of whether Chris Bosh ends up playing with LeBron James in Cleveland or with Dwyane Wade in Miami (or with whomever on the Bulls, or if any of them are wooed by the Knicks…), there’s one consistent theme: New Jersey seems to be left out in the cold. The Nets may have had an early lead on their metro counterparts in landing LeBron, but that momentum has completely dissipated.

Restricted free agent Tyrus Thomas is on New Jersey’s radar as a fallback plan and could get a frontloaded offer sheet that would end his brief tenure with the Charlotte Bobcats, league sources said. New Jersey has discussed deals for Thomas in the past, and Nets general manager Rod Thorn has long been intrigued with the 6-foot-10 forward…Thomas has expressed a desire to keep playing for Bobcats coach Larry Brown, but it seems like owner Michael Jordan and GM Rod Higgins are willing to let Thomas get an offer sheet before making a decision on paying him. The Bobcats would have seven days to match after Thomas signs an offer sheet.

Obviously none of this is very fair to Tyrus. If the Nets strike out on the big free agents this summer, his signing will be viewed as a failure. The game plan was to bring in a huge talent via free agency, and that Thomas is not. Still, he could definitely help New Jersey should the Bobcats decide not to match, even if his long-term role with the team would be in question.

However, the bigger impact would be the Bobcats losing Thomas. Charlotte doesn’t seem too heartbroken over letting Raymond Felton walk, and they could very well feel the same way about Tyrus despite trading for him mid-season. Dropping both would be pretty substantial for a Bobcats team that’s always a little desperate for bodies. Sure, Boris Diaw is there and Gerald Wallace can play at the 4, but behind them, you’re asking Nazr Mohammed, Tyson Chandler, or DeSagana Diop to step out of their comfort zone to guard power forwards. Not. Good.